The season of sweets officially kicks off with Halloween trick-or-treating and is closely followed by school parties and family gatherings. There, gingerbread, pie, holiday cookies and candy play a starring role. These sweets can wreak havoc on teeth and gums, making the holidays prime time for cavities.

The use of patient newsletters among dental specialists will continue to gain traction in 2013, according to WPI Communications’ recent Dental Marketing Barometer Survey.
The survey of more than 250 dental specialists …

You have worked hard to create a Web site for your dental practice. But do you find that while you get hundreds of hits each week, converting prospects into dental patients falls short? The answer to boosting your conversion rate may be found by focusing on your landing page.

When a dental patient calls your office, how long does it take for your staff to answer the telephone? Does the patient have to navigate through a complicated telephone system to speak to a human being? How does your staff sound on the telephone? Are they friendly and helpful? When a patient visits your office, is the patient’s experience pleasant or distasteful?

According to a recent national survey, Americans rely heavily on Google searches as a source of health care information. Among respondents, 22 percent consider Google searches as “influential” in seeking health information. Gen Xers and African Americans are among the most likely to rely on Google searches.

It is one thing to have a Web site for your dental practice, but it is another thing to have a Web site that generates new patients. Take a close look at your Web site. Who is it about? You or your patients?

When was the last time your dental patients heard from you? If you do not reach out to your existing patients on a regular basis you can miss the boat for referrals and risk loosing dental patients to your competition. Engaging with your patients only during office visits is not enough. Here are a few effective ways to stay close throughout the year:

In these challenging economic times, dental practitioners have to work smarter, not harder, to weather the storm. But the good news is that with a number of simple strategies, you can market your business and bolster the success of your practice in the face of the current downturn. According to Jeff Francis, marketing director at Practice Café, dental practitioners can follow a few essential practices that will serve you well.

As a practicing dentist, you know who your best patients are (and if you don’t you should). Sometimes, they’re the ones who take your all your advice and end up spending considerable sums of cash to keep their smiles in top shape; and sometimes, they’re the ones who have consistently brought you referrals, returned customer survey cards, and posted glowing recommendations on your website.